


See how deep the bullet lies.

by Callendra



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-09
Updated: 2020-05-11
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:21:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24095002
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Callendra/pseuds/Callendra
Summary: SPOILERS: takes place before "Cap Am: Civil War" but spoilers from the movieNat finds a file connecting Bucky to Tony's parents' murder. She urges Steve to tell Tony about it. What could go wrong?
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there, this is just a little fanfic about what could have happened if Steve himself had told Tony about his parents' murder.  
> I hope you're going to like it, have a good read ^^

It was a peaceful morning in the Avengers Facility. Steve had just come back from his morning jogging, and was making himself some coffee in the kitchen after a well deserved shower.

“Hey, handsome.” he heard from behind him.

Steve turned around to find Natasha standing in front of him, a sealed envelop in her hand. Her expression was guarded, and she bore an apologetic smile on her face. Instantly, the blond could tell something was amiss, and he let her know by frowning inquisitively at her.

“Hey, Nat.”

“You know I just got back from a mission... collecting information about Hydra's work. I came across this.” she explained, handing him the envelop. “You might want to sit down.”

Steve kept frowning as he took it. Natasha was strangely evasive. What did she want him to find out on his own so much? A file and a photo of a camera. 16th of December, 1991. A nasty shiver ran down his spine and he found himself frozen in place as he stared at the picture. He feared that Hydra was behind it, but he didn't think it was _him_. After a little moment he looked back up at her.

“You should tell him, Steve.”

“I can't. It's best for everyone that he never finds out. It would only hurt him.”

“Are you sure about that? You know Tony... he is impulsive, emotional. How do you think he will take it if he learns this from anyone but you?”

Steve remained silent, looking back down at the picture. He didn't want to throw a knife into this old wound. Seeing that the soldier would not answer, Natasha spoke up again.

“It's your call, Steve.” she paused. “We got to think about the team.”

With that she exited the kitchen, leaving Steve alone with his painful dilemma. He knew deep down that Natasha had a point. Tony would undeniably feel betrayed if he learned that Steve already knew and kept it to himself. He wouldn't see the big picture. But what if he antagonized Bucky? It had never been Bucky. What if he went into a witch hunt? But even he didn't know for sure where his friend was, it was unlikely that Tony could find him just like that. Steve sighed deeply. He had really hoped it would never come to this, but a part of him knew it would. He put the files back into the envelop, grabbed a match and burned it in the courtyard. Then he came back to the kitchen to make himself the most nervous coffee he'd had in a while.

Tony strolled in the Avengers Facility. He was in a rather good mood, as he just came back from a nice interview with a charming lady. He wouldn't offer her a booty call or anything, he still hoped to mend things with Pepper, but it had somewhat brightened his day. He had just got into the living room when Steve appeared in the doorway.

“Hey, Tony.” the soldier's voice was uncharacteristically timid.

“Hey, Cap. You look like someone stole your shield and you are about to ask me to make you a new one. No one stole your shield, right?” he frowned at him, but clearly he was just being playful.

This made Steve gulp. He didn't want to do that to him... but he had to.

“I have to talk to you, Tony.” he replied, walking towards him.

“Wow wow, it's worse than that? They stole your suit didn't they? It's fine I always thought it was terribly outdated.”

“Sit down, Tony.” the blond asked, sitting on one of the sofas himself.

Tony stared at him intently then, something was really wrong here. “Ok, you're really starting to freak me out now.” he commented but complied and sat down across from his colleague and friend.

Looking down at the ground, Steve was trying to find his words. No matter how he turned it in his head, it always sounded the same. There was no sugar coating this. He breathed in deeply through his nose and looked back up.

“There is something I know, and I think you should as well.” he paused a second, and gladly Tony didn't take that opportunity to make a quirky remark, for once. “You know what Hydra's been doing: turning people into killing machines, like what they did with Wanda and her brother.” Again, he took a deep breath in, this was it. “In 1991, they brainwashed Bucky into... going after your parents.” he finally said.

Silence filled the room. Steve was just searching Tony's eyes, trying to prepare himself for his reaction. It seemed at first that the engineer didn't know how to respond to that, how to feel. But then, a mix of anger and hurt could be seen in his eyes.

“You're telling me... that your war buddy slaughtered my parents?” the tone of his voice was all but playful, his gaze intensely fixed on Steve.

“Hydra did. Bucky had no choice. You know what they can do. They infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. all these years before we took them down. They might even still be out there.”

Tony had not looked away all this while, and his breathing was growing heavy. He got up suddenly, visibly shaken. He was trying to digest this information how the hell he could. Steve slowly followed his movement and stood to his feet. He stayed silent, giving his friend time. It hurt him to see him like this. Suddenly, Tony spoke up again.

“Why the hell did you tell me this, huh? What am I supposed to do with this?” Anger was taking over him, his eyes growing teary.

“Tony...”

“Am I supposed to pat you on the back and say 'It's okay, he didn't mean it'? Do you expect me to send him an 'I forgive you' card?”

Steve didn't object anything. As saddening as it was, he knew he just had to take it. Perhaps would he even let him use him as a punching ball if it meant Tony could move on and not go after Bucky. He would take it, for both of his friends.

“Friday, unlock Mark XLVI.”

The AI didn't answer but instead parts of his suit flew to Tony, who soon was completely engulfed in it. Steve stood his ground, readying himself to endure his assault. He was alarmed to see Iron Man walk towards the window.

“Tony, what are you doing?”

The engineer instantly froze and turned around. “Afraid I'm going to hunt him down?” Steve didn't answer but his expression said it all. “I'm going to find something to punch into...” Tony's helmet fell back, as to make sure Steve would see the resentment and challenge in his eyes. “Unless you want to volunteer.”

The soldier stared back at him. Tony needed an outlet, he could get that. And perhaps if he directly let it out on him would it relieve him. Perhaps would he feel less bitter, perhaps he could just move on. And as long as he took it out on him he wasn't wreaking havoc out there.

“If you need it.” Steve simply replied.

Tony's jaw visibly shifted with irritation. “No, you don't get to hold still while I kick your teeth in. You're going to fight me.” he assured, fully turning towards him. “Put on your suit.”

“Tony, I...”

“Put on your suit!” he said before getting the automatic window to open. “Meet me in the courtyard.” he finished and flew out.

Steve closed his eyes a second and exhaled deeply. He glanced at the red and gold silhouette in the distance before heading towards his quarters. Fully equipped, he joined Tony on the green grass. He didn't want to fight him, but he knew it would only anger him more. So he simply plunged his blue eyes into the armour's visor, waiting for Iron Man to make the first move.

He didn't have to wait long. The engineer raised his arm: a powerful blast of energy came out of his palm. Steve lifted his shield, blocking it. Tony was heaving in his helmet. The advanced combat program was automatically locating his opponent's weaknesses already. He didn't need it. Boosting his jets, he threw himself at Steve. The blond anchored himself to the ground and braced himself for impact. Tony's fist collided with the shield with a resonating metallic sound. The shock destabilised him. Instantly, Tony aimed for the side of his leg. He kicked his calf, forcing Steve on one knee. His armoured fist hit the side of his face. Captain America found himself on his knees, spitting a bit of blood. No more pain came next. Slowly, he got back to his feet.

“Stop playing the fucking martyr, fight back!” Tony snarled through his helmet.

The soldier didn't reply, instead staring back at his friend. His own gaze lacked any trace of aggressivity, and surely it was infuriating the Golden Avenger even more. Steve brought his shield up and threw it at Tony's face, who deflected it easily. Using the distraction, he rolled forward and kicked him in the stomach with both legs. The sheer force sent Iron Man flying backwards with a grunt, but he settled himself before touching the ground. Steve used that moment to dash to his shield, just in time to block a new ray of energy. Tony kept raining fire onto him while he rushed at him. Steve moved out of the way at the last second. He threw his shield into his midsection while Tony turned in mid-air. This time the engineer was ready. He shot the projectile, sending it flying away. He charged again, his fist ready. Steve blocked him, and sent his own fist towards his face. The armour absorbed most of the impact, but Tony still felt pain radiate through his temple.

The First Avenger stilled a second, watching as the helmet turned back to face him. It came crashing into his nose, sending him back, blood pouring out. Tony didn't miss a beat and kicked him in the stomach. Steve rolled on his side several times before ending face down onto the ground. He breathed in deeply, pushing away the pain. He had to let him win. He could probably knock him out, especially in Tony's state. But he had to let him win. He got up, knowing that his friend would take that as an insult if he surrendered so quickly. But he wanted it to be over.

He wiped off some of his blood before he ran towards Iron Man. Tony waited for him to be twenty feet away and fired little missiles at him. They didn't fly right at him, instead going over, only to make a curve and fly back towards the Captain. Steve didn't even take the time to look up, he rushed to the shield. But the missiles never reached him, instead exploding in the air. It was all Tony needed to distract him. The blond barely had time to turn around before the Golden Avenger threw his fist at him. He staggered, but this time Tony didn't grant him any respite. The punches kept coming, and Steve soon had no choice but to try and cover his face. Finally, he was thrown onto the ground.

He lied on his back, bleeding and sighing deeply. It was nothing he couldn't recover from, nothing that would leave a scar. He only hoped that this outlet wouldn't leave one in Tony's mind. Iron Man's helmet retracted, revealing a bleeding eyebrow. Besides that, the engineer seemed pretty unscathed. He stared at his defeated colleague for a few seconds, breathing heavily. Then, he took a few steps forward.

“You better hope I don't come across him any time soon, Punchsicle.” he assured, traces of anger still audible in his voice.

With that, he flew back to the building, leaving his friend to get back up on his own. Steve didn't move for a moment, waiting for the pain to subside, eyes closed. He stood up, picked up his shield and looked towards the building. There he could see Natasha looking at him through a window. She nodded with a little reassuring smile. Had he really done the right thing? He wanted nothing more but to take another warm shower. He slowly made his way back to the living room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I originally planned to leave it there, but I was inspired to write more. So, there you go.
> 
> PS: the title is a line from the song "Running up that hill" by Kate Bush


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second and final chapter of his fiction. Enjoy ^^

Tony let himself fall down onto his chair. Brand new contusions were appearing here and there on his body, and he didn't need to check to know exactly where.

“Boss, are you okay?” Friday's feminine voice rose in the room. “You are bleeding.”

“This? It's nothing... you should see the other guy...” Tony argued, seemingly detached, but his tone was tainted with weariness.

He fell silent again. Closing his eyes, he shook his head slightly with a sigh. The adrenaline and anger were starting to die down. A nasty feeling was growing in their place, one he would run from no matter what. He had finally managed to control it, cope with it, after being enslaved by it for some time after the events of New York. He was not about to fall back into it.

“Friday, start up the repairs on Mark XLVI.

“Already done, Boss.”

“Good girl. Load the blueprints for the particle accelerator.”

And as she did, Tony buried himself in the repairs of CERN's equipment. For a while, it managed to keep at bay his negative emotions about his parents' murder. But an hour into his work, parasitic thoughts began sneaking into his mind. At first he tried to push them away, but he soon had to admit defeat. How did Rogers learn about it? What exactly happened? If he found Barnes, could he get him to talk about the masterminds behind it?

The engineer shut his eyes again. He had put it behind him for so long, but thanks to Cap he felt the need to dig into it again. He rubbed his forehead, his head lowered, then he saved all his progress and closed the program.

“Friday... look for anything related to Barnes and my parents' murder in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s files.”

“Yes, Boss.”

Tony's gaze lost focus, fixed somewhere on a wall. He mechanically reached for a packet of blueberries and popped one into his mouth. He couldn't just go question Steve after their brawl. He wouldn't be surprised if the Captain told him to piss off. And he felt that it would only reignite his anger. Perhaps because he couldn't yet admit to himself that letting it out on his friend had been wrong. And then... what could he hope to gain from it? No, he would wait and see if Friday found anything and then he'd make a decision. Meanwhile, he would keep trying to distract himself.

During the following days, Steve didn't see much of Tony. The mechanic was either locked in his workshop or out and about. Either way, it looked like he was avoiding the Captain like the plague. Steve was really starting to regret listening to Natasha, but there was no changing it. So he'd better not dwell on the past and work on making the most of it. The thing was, both needed to agree on that for it to work. And it looked like Iron Man was not going to get to that point anytime soon.

He didn't approach Widow with this subject, she made the first move. She did her best to reassure him, saying that it was the lesser evil and that he just needed time. Nothing could be done about it anyway, except wait and go easy on the guy for a while. Well, subtly, because there was no doubt that if Tony mistook his behaviour for pity, he would not take it too kindly. So, he decided to back away for the time being.

Steve spent most of his time with Sam and Natasha. And when he wasn't speaking or sparring with them, he was catching up with all the pop culture he had missed all these years. A new mission came up too, and he only needed Falcon for it, so he didn't offer Tony to join in. He doubted the engineer would be interested anyway.

When he came back successful though, he found the brunet in the living room, making himself a sandwich. Everything seemed normal, except for the open wounds on his cheek and his arm. Had he been busy with some mission of his own? He didn't say anything, but addressed him a slightly concerned look. Tony just glanced back at him while taking a bite of his food, before making his way back to his workshop. Steve lowered his head, but again remained silent. Hopefully this wouldn't last too long.

“Friday...”

“Yes, Mr Rogers?”

“He is digging into his parents' murder, isn't he?”

“I don't think Mr Stark would want me to disclose this information.”

“I only want to help him, Friday.”

There was a pause before the AI spoke up again. “He is.”

Steve frowned slightly and sighed. He really had opened up an old wound. “Please tell me if he finds anything.”

A few weeks passed by. Tony had finally ended the silent treatment. But somehow this wasn't any better. He couldn't help but throw cutting comments at the soldier whenever they exchanged a few words. It was clear that Steve held back any comeback of his own after a few of those one-sided altercations. And he knew the Captain usually wasn't one to hold his tongue when he felt insulted. It aggravated the brunet even more; it threw back to his face how unfair his behaviour was. He couldn't go against his defence mechanism. Deep down he knew that he would eventually regret it. He already did.

“Boss, I have found something.” Friday spoke up, loading documents on the transparent screen.

Tony straightened from his slumped position on his chair. His stomach constricted as his eyes locked on the picture of an undercover Hydra agent. He blinked a few times, hatred veiling his gaze. This guy was still alive. Tony had too many reasons to take him down, but not before making him spill any information he held.

“Friday, calculate the quickest route to Belgrade.” he instructed before getting up.

Somewhere else in the Facility.

“Captain, Mr Stark is getting ready to depart for Serbia.” the AI's voice rose in Steve's quarters only.

“Thank you, Friday.” the soldier replied, looking up from his book, before he got up.

Thank God he was at the Facility. He jumped into his suit, not yet putting the mask on, and made his way to the workshop. Tony was finishing up his preps when he appeared at the door. As the engineer didn't acknowledge his presence, he opted for speaking up.

“Tony... are you sure about this? We took down Hydra's operation, you might not find anything.” he tried, fearing that any false hope would only make it worse.

The brunet finally deigned looking at him. “I'm sorry, didn't you say that they might still be out there?” he retorted, his tone not exactly friendly.

“I did...” Steve admitted after a pause. “Let me help you.”

“Help me? Or help your cuckoo friend?”

Steve sighed. “You, Tony. We're a team, remember?”

The engineer stared at him for a few more seconds before he looked away, resuming his previous task. “Whatever, Capsicle, but if I find something you don't like, don't expect me to turn a blind eye.” And as Steve simply nodded, he added: “Hurry up, I'm leaving.”

Steve held back a smile. Tony had just taken a step towards him by accepting, he couldn't expect from him to respect conventions too.

“I'll ready the Quinjet.” the Captain simply said before walking away.

Tony stared at the now empty doorway for a second. He finished up, called for his suit and followed after his colleague. He joined him in the jet, his helmet retracted, and glanced at the blond in the cockpit. And once Friday transferred the data to the Quinjet, they took off.

At first the journey was very quiet, Steve silently flying the jet, while Tony sat further away. Both their minds were teeming. The First Avenger couldn't help but wonder if this would be enough to appease his friend. The Golden one, though, was more focused on what he would say – and do – to Friedrich Stein. Sometimes, they exchanged a few words, briefly. Tony was keeping himself busy by working on his projects: for CERN or for other institutions. Even though the jet was mostly on autopilot, Steve remained in the cockpit. Mostly to occupy himself as well. Even if its advanced technology made the jet faster than any common plane, they still needed at least twenty hours to make it to Europe.

When Serbia was finally in sight, Tony got up and approached the windscreen. Supposedly, they would be facing one isolated man, secluded in a foreign country. Yet, they knew better than to underestimate Hydra. So they needed some kind of plan, at least the beginning of one.

“We should land in a deserted area, and walk from there.” Steve stated.

“Agreed. There are spare clothes in the jet, let's blend in a little better. We don't want to make a Wicked Witch of the West kind of entrance.”

Steve understood that reference and let a soft amused smile curl up his lips. “No, we don't.” he agreed and began the jet's descent.

After making sure the jet was safely hidden, they both got ready. Tony simply hid his armour in an attaché case, sporting a baseball cap and casual clothes. Steve, as for him, put on a trench coat large enough to cover the upper part of his suit and sunglasses. It made him look almost inhumanly broad, but it would still attract less attention that the Star-Spangled Banner. He wrapped his shield in card stock, making it look like some kind of art project.

“When in range, I'll heat scan the building.” the engineer stated.

“If he's not alone we'll take them all out discreetly first.” the soldier pursued.

Tony nodded. “All set, let's go.”

“I follow your lead.”

Both men exited the jet and soon became one with the crowd in the busy streets. They weren't walking next to each other. If one of them was recognized, it was more prudent not to put another famous face a few feet away. Walking a sidewalk apart from each other, they approached the agent's hideout. When in range, Tony leaned back against a wall and scanned the building.

“One heat signature, he's game.” he announced through the earpiece. “Courtyard entrance is clear.”

From the other side of the street, Steve glanced at said entrance.

“It looks like the most discreet way in.” he confirmed.

Tony made his way to the backdoor and tried the handle. Locked. He opened the briefcase and pushed a button: the gauntlet of his suit enveloped his hand. He melted the lock just as Steve joined him in the courtyard. Stepping in, the Captain finally got rid of the trench coat and card stock. Keeping an eye on the heat signature, the engineer didn't put on the armour yet. It was only when the blond readied himself to kick the door in that he called for the suit.

The door was ripped from its hinges with a loud noise. He was about to hurry in when a grenade rolled towards him. He called it out to Tony and placed the shield forward just before it exploded. Commotion could be heard coming from the flat as well as panicked shouts from the other floors. Steve dashed forward, only to see a man jumping out the window.

“I'm on it.” the brunet stated, already flying towards the fleeing man.

Following the heat signature, Friday analysed the fugitive's trajectory. As Stein jumped down from a lower balcony and onto a garbage can, Iron Man came down onto him. Just as the metallic fist was about to strike him down, he took out a high  caliber gun. One that could pierce through the engineer's defense. A flash of blue and red ripped through the air and a loud sound of metal against metal resonated in the back alley. The agent grunted as he dropped the gun, the shield flying back to its owner.

Tony raised his hand and blasted the man away. He threw himself at him while Stein rolled on the ground. He pinned him down with his body, one hand on his throat while the other aimed at his face. His helmet opened and he fixed on the agent a gaze of pure hatred. Watching intently, Steve slowly walked closer to witness the exchange.

“1991. Maria and Howard Stark's murder. Speak.” The man remained silent, instead he just offered him a hideous smile. “Speak!” Tony yelled, crashing his fist onto his face.

The man spat out some blood with a grunt. “Hail Hydra.” he said, before biting down onto his cyanide capsule.

Tony's eyes grew wide at the sight of foam gushing out of the agent's mouth. He tried to pry it open with his gauntlet, but the poison had already entered his metabolism. The engineer could do nothing but watch as the man died. He started heaving, fury bubbling up. He slammed his fist into the ground next to the dead man's head with a wrathful yell.

A few feet away, Steve was silent. He should have thrown his shield at his head. Knocked out, he wouldn't have been able to use this easy way out. But protecting his teammate had been priority. And perhaps a part of him hoped that if Tony stayed in the dark about Bucky, he wouldn't get the idea to go after him. Yes, it was a selfish thought, or rather a partial one. It couldn't be undone anyway. He looked up as police sirens echoed in the streets.

“Tony, we got to go.”

Iron man stared at the corpse a second longer before he got up. “Go back to the jet.” he simply replied before he flew back up into the agent's flat.

Steve's gaze followed him until he disappeared before he made his way back into the courtyard. He picked up his disguise and left the crime scene without being seen. Meanwhile, Tony was turning the flat upside down, looking for anything useful. He found a few secret files, sadly nothing about Barnes or his parents, and a couple of Hydra weapons. He grabbed everything and flew out just as the police burst in. Once both Avengers got on board, the furtive jet took off.

Tony was adamant about checking the files and weapons himself before sending them to any higher authority. Transferring it to the new S.H.I.E.L.D. wasn't exactly an option anyway. As Cap had said, there might still be traces of Hydra in there, and the remaining upright agents had already a lot on their hands. So the items would be stored in the Facility for the time being. As he feared, neither of those led to any new information about his parents. Well, he'd keep digging into it, from time to time. He had simply felt the need to do it because of the shocking revelation, but his emotional involvement would lessen with time.

Something he should deal with immediately though was his relationship with the Captain. He had mistreated him badly. He knew it. What would he have done if Rhodey had been brainwashed into killing Steve's parents? Capsicle had done what he could. Somehow he doubted the soldier held it against him, but still... He wanted him to know that they were cool. So, fetching some of his best whiskey and two glasses, he asked Friday to locate Steve in the Facility. He waited for him to be done watching Ocean Eleven, before he joined him in the lounge.

“Hey, Cap.” he called out just as the credits started rolling.

“Tony.” the blond greeted him back, his gaze dropping onto the bottle for a second.

“Getting ready for a money heist? You know I've got us covered, right?”

Steve frowned for a second, he offered him a knowing smile. “Everyone needs a retirement plan.”

“Doesn't seem like a good plan, if you ask me.” the mechanic retorted, sitting next to him on the couch. He paused, pouring some whiskey into both glasses. “Thanks. For taking one for the team. You know...” he vaguely motioned towards his own face. “And for sticking with me.”

Although Tony sounded detached, Steve knew it was his way of apologizing. “We're a team... and we're friends, right?” he replied.

“Right.” the brunet assured, handing him a glass before taking a sip of his own. “You liked it?” he inquired, glancing at the screen. “If you did I've got a few suggestions for you.”

Both Avengers kept chatting for a while. A weight had been lifted from their shoulders. Sadly, a new one would soon replace it. Their recent trip to Serbia had drawn some attention, adding to the pile of reasons for the United Nations to seek control over them. Perhaps, just perhaps, Steve's revelations would make the quarrel less dramatic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now it's really over.  
> Feel free to leave comments, I always enjoy constructive criticism.


End file.
